1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a gun sling for carrying a long gun such as a sporting rifle or shotgun. More specifically the invention is an adjustable leather rifle sling having adjustable loops at each end.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Of particular interest to many shooters is a rifle sling that is not only functional and user friendly, but is also aesthetically pleasing to the eye and made of natural materials such as leather. It is also desirable that the sling contain no components that could mar the finish on a firearm.
Another desirable feature of a rifle sling is that it can be quickly and easily adjusted for length to accommodate shooters of various sizes as well as different shooting positions.
A sling that provides support during the act of shooting that is simple, and easy to use, is preferred by many shooters over more complicated devices.
The vast majority of slings attache to the firearm by means of some sort of swivel device. While it is desirable to have a sling that utilizes these common devices, it is also desirable to be able to use the sling on firearms that do not have these devices such as antique arms, many older rifles, as well as most shotguns.
Many different kinds of slings are known and in common use. Some are simple while others are complicated. Some are used over one shoulder, others are used over both shoulders, still others go over the shooters neck, or around the body, some attache to a vest or other device. Some use a single strip of leather or other material while others use multiple strips. Most use some sort of adjustable loop for length adjustment, and this adjustment is made possible by the use of such hardware as buckles, clasps, clamps hooks, rivets, screws or other devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,835 issued to E. Tarr on Apr. 4, 1989 discloses a sling that can be used as a single shoulder sling or can be used over both shoulders. This sling uses a clasps and keeper for length adjustment. Some shooters will appreciate this sling while others would prefer a more simple design without the use of hardware.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,360 issued to T. Rock on Jul. 18, 1995 discloses a single shoulder sling that utilizes a slide and buckle for length adjustment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,756 issued to F. Hightower on Sep. 8, 1998 discloses a sling that uses a support pad and thumb hole for over the shoulder carrying and fittings for length adjustment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,393 issued to P. Sinclaire on Jan. 18, 2005 discloses a very nice, simple sling. It uses a minimum amount of hardware, namely a single Chicago screw. It is aesthetically pleasing and is simple to use. However, the slide-lock knot is formed from three somewhat long, narrow bands that have a tendency to stretch, thereby losing a portion of their holding power. Also no means of manually locking the knot is provided. Furthermore a fixed, rather than an adjustable, loop is provided at the opposite end of this sling.
None of the above inventions either singly or in combination is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Therefore an adjustable leather rifle sling solving the aforementioned problems is desired.